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Read on to learn more about Rolando Lavarro, running for Council At-Large, 1B with Team Fulop.
Read on to learn more about Rolando Lavarro, running for Council At-Large, 1B with Team Fulop.
What are some of the changes you've seen in
Jersey City in the time that you've lived here? What changes would you like to
see in the next four years?
Jersey City
has changed tremendously since I was a kid. It seems almost unbelievable
now, but Downtown used to be a pretty rough area. Greenville, where I grew up,
was a safe and thriving middle class neighborhood. Journal Square was once a
bustling transportation hub surrounded by grand movie houses and high-end
shopping.
Recently, we've
definitely seen some positive changes happening all over town. The
development boom Downtown we've been experiencing over the last decade or two
is now spreading into the other parts of the city. Journal Square is
experiencing a renaissance with a lot of new buildings and small businesses returning
there. Police recruitment is up, more diverse than ever, and crime is
down in the city's south side. Plus the new City Hall Annex coming to the
MLK light rail hub should bring a steady flow of cash into the neighborhood as
well.
I'd like to see
continued growth in every corner of the city, along with plenty of affordable
housing opportunities and good paying jobs. We recently regained local
control of our public schools, so I'd love to see significant improvements on
the education front as well.
Jersey City prides itself on being a city
where small businesses can thrive, but others say the rising rents and lack of
development in areas outside of downtown make it difficult. What is the small
business community around you like? How do you plan to change, enhance, and/or
support that community?
First, I
would dispute the notion that there is a lack of development outside of
downtown. Downtown development continues to boom, but it is undeniable
that we are seeing development in other parts of the city. It's just a
matter of time before retail businesses and services are established in these
areas to serve the growing populations in Journal Square, Bergen-Lafayette, the
MLK Hub and Greenville/West Side.
With that
being said, as a Council-At-Large, the small business community for me is the
entire City. The type of businesses varies from one neighborhood to the
next and from one Special Improvement Districts (SID) to another. There
are plenty of long-established businesses on Central Avenue, with new ones
popping up on Central and Palisades including restaurants, cafes and galleries.
While the
Jackson Hill SID has some challenges, I think the opening of the City Hall
Annex and the hundreds of employees in the area will spur small business
development in and around the MLK Hub. The
area is growing in part because of smart and determined local small businesses;
and the City can do more to align our goals and boost investment in small
businesses along MLK Drive.
West Side
is lined up with storefronts serving diverse ethnic communities. At the center of small business in Journal
Square is India Square. Immigrant communities have been the backbone of
those two business districts for some time now.
In the
past four years, the City has increased efforts to support the growth of our
local economy. Through the Office of Small Business Services - First Stop
to Open Shop — we provide our diverse local businesses with free one on one
counseling to startups/entrepreneurs to establish their business, and we
support existing businesses with services like marketing, or how to go through
permitting and licensing. There are
three small business loans from microloan of $1000 to SBA backed loan of
$250,000 that local businesses can access and apply for. There are free
business development workshops on business plan writing, digital marketing to
taxes and public speaking.
We can
increase the presence and scope of service by OSBS so it can be felt more
prominently in all neighborhoods throughout the City. We need to expand
the SHOP JC BUY LOCAL program and support our local economy.
What are your favorite restaurants in your
neighborhood? In Jersey City?
In no
particular order, my favorite restaurants in my neighborhood of Greenville-West
Side are: Vinnie's III, Miss America Diner, Laico’s, and any Filipino
restaurant along West Side and Mallory Avenue. In the rest of Jersey City, I
frequent Renato’s, Gino’s, Noodle Fan, Latham House, Kraverie, Shanghai Best,
Sawadee, Komegashi, Liberty House. I also like Razza, Two Boots, Helen's
Pizza. (Do you see a trend here?) I also love a good steak --
Edwards. I have a tough time answering this question -- to pick a
favorite restaurant -- with the variety of restaurants we have in Jersey City.
What is your favorite community event and
why?
Having a
seven year old, I like family-friendly events. There's the July 4th
Freedom Fireworks with the carnival and kids’ attractions leading to the
fireworks display in the midst of Jersey City's jewel of Liberty State Park.
My daughter does ballet with Nimbus Dance Works, so I always look forward
to their annual production of the Nutcracker.
As a
Filipino-American, I've been celebrating the Filipino culture at the Philippine
American Friendship parade/festival and the Santacruzan celebration since I was
in high school. The Philippine Independence Day Parade and Festival is one of
the few events along West Side Avenue. Also, I've taken my daughter to
Navratri in Journal Square. While it's very late at night, I wanted her
to experience it as it truly is a special event. It truly is one of Jersey
City's hidden gems.
And
something for the adults, ArtHouse Production's Snowball is always
creative, festive, and brings people together in support of our arts community.
Again, this is another challenging question - there are so many great
events in Jersey City.
What kind
of food would you like to see in Jersey that you don't see a lot of currently?
My wife says she wants to see
Trader Joe's, and I know downtown residents would like to see that or a Whole Foods.
I would like downtown to maintain a diverse mix of local
businesses. That's one of the main reasons why the council passed
anti-chain store legislation with exceptions for supermarkets.
Greenville is something of a food
desert and the area is looking forward to the ShopRite coming as part of the New
Jersey City University expansion. People are looking for restaurant and
grocery options, particularly in the South Side, Greenville, and
Bergen-Lafayette sections.
To learn more about about all of the Council At-Large Candidates, read The Jersey Journal's Council At-Large Interviews.
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